These super easy, soft garlic flatbreads use just FIVE ingredients I bet you already have and come together in no time. Lather them in garlic butter and you’ve got the perfect vessel for dips, to mop up a curry or just to enjoy as garlic bread.
You’ll be amazed at how easy these flatbreads are to make, and they’re SO much better than those dry and hard ones you’ll find at the store. Once you make them, you’ll wonder why it took you so long! These are always a favourite in my house, and that delicious garlic butter just takes them to another level. And who doesn’t love garlic bread?!
You can mix the dough for these flatbreads in a stand mixer, or you can do it by hand. It’s really easy to work with dough, so even though I have a stand mixer sometimes I like to just do it by hand (sometimes you just need to whack some dough against the bench..!)
Ingredients
The ingredients are all cupboard staples, making them quick to pull together.
- Flour. Just plain all-purpose flour is fine – but you can use bread flour if you like. You could mix things up and use half wholemeal and half plain if you like. The flatbreads won’t be quite as fluffy, but will have extra flavour.
- Instant yeast. I’m using instant yeast here for ease – this way you can add the yeast straight into the mix without having to let it sit and activate first. If you only have active dried yeast, sprinkle it over lukewarm water and let it sit for 10 minutes before you mix the dough.
- Yogurt. This brings a lovely tangy flavour to the dough and helps to keep it soft. You can use any plain, unsweetened yogurt.
For the garlic butter itself, you’ll need unsalted butter, flaky salt, flat-leaf parsley (or mint, cilantro or thyme), a whole head of garlic (to roast), plus extra raw cloves and black garlic. If you can’t find black garlic you can skip it.
How to make the flatbreads
Start by getting all your ingredients into a large mixing bowl – either the bowl of your stand mixer, or an ordinary bowl. Mix with a large, wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms then get your hands in there and form into a rough dough. Turn out, and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is soft and supple. OR, knead the dough in your stand mixer with the dough hook attached for 5 minutes.
Shape it into a ball, then pop it back into the mixing bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Leave to rise until doubled in size.
PRO TIP: Take a photo of the dough when you put it in the bowl so you can check to see how much it’s grown.
Once the dough is lovely and puffy, get it out onto a clean surface and divide it into 8. Shape each piece into small balls, then with a rolling pin, roll into small circles with a diameter of about 6″/15cm.
Cook the flatbreads for a couple of minutes on each side in a hot pan, until they start to puff up a bit. Remove from the pan and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them nice and soft. Brush with the garlic butter as they come out of the pan.
Got a question?
They’ll last for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature – I like to pop them in the toaster to freshen them up after day 2.
You can! I pop them into zip lock bags and freeze them, then defrost them in the toaster.
So many things! I love using them as naan alongside a curry (if you’re spreading them with the garlic butter you’ve got instant garlic naan!), with a selection of dips, as mini pizza bases, with shakshuka, use them as wraps and pile them with sandwich fillings or load them up with leftover roast meat or pulled pork and salad. So good!
Like this recipe? You might enjoy these easy breads too
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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Easy, Soft Garlic Flatbreads
- Total Time: 1 hour 13 minutes
- Yield: 8 flatbreads 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These super easy, soft garlic flatbreads use just FIVE ingredients I bet you already have and come together in no time. Lather them in garlic butter and you’ve got the perfect vessel for dips, to mop up a curry or just to enjoy as garlic bread.
Remember, if you’re looking for cup measurements just use the ‘Units’ section below and click on ‘US’.
Ingredients
For the flatbreads –
- 500g flour (plain or bread flour)
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 200g warm water
- 100g plain yogurt
For the garlic butter:
- 1 whole head of garlic + 4 extra cloves
- 3 cloves of black garlic (or use more raw garlic)
- 2 teaspoons flaky salt
- 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon nigella seeds
- 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Instructions
- If you’re using a stand mixer: add the 500g flour, 1 teaspoon instant yeast, 2 teaspoons salt, 200g lukewarm water and 100g yogurt into the bowl of your mixer. With the dough hook attached, knead for 5 minutes, until the dough comes together and is slightly sticky to the touch.
- If you’re mixing the dough by hand: add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. With a large wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until a shaggy dough starts to form, then go in with your hands to bring it together into a more cohesive dough. Turn out onto a clean surface, and knead with the palm of your hand for 5 minutes. You’ll feel the dough start to change as you work with it – it’ll start quite dry and stiff, and become much more supple, smooth and elastic as you keep kneading.
- Let the dough rise. Once the dough has been kneaded, form it into a ball, then pop it back in the mixing bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Leave to rise for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size. I like to take a photo of the dough as I place it in the bowl to compare and see how it’s getting on! Watch the dough rather than the clock – the rising time depends on the heat of your kitchen.
- Prepare the garlic. Heat your oven to 390F/200C fan. Cut your whole head of garlic in half, so the cloves are exposed. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the exposed cloves, then wrap in foil and pop in the oven for 45 minutes, until soft. Peel your extra 4 garlic cloves, then roughly chop and place them in a pestle and mortar along with the 3 black garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons of flaky salt.
- Make the garlic butter. Once the head of garlic is roasted, soft and cooled, squeeze the cloves out of their skins into the pestle and mortar too. Bash into a paste. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, you can chop and crush the garlic mix on a wooden board with a knife. In a small bowl, add 150g of unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon of nigella seeds and 1/3 cup of flat-leaf parsley leaves. Add the garlic paste and mix to combine into a lovely butter. Set the bowl aside.
- Roll out the flatbreads. When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough into 8 roughly equal portions (you can weigh the dough, then divide that by 8 to get exact portions if you like). Shape each piece into a small ball. The way I like to do this is to flatten the dough, then pull up the edges so they meet at the top, then form into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll out the balls into small circles, roughly 15cm in diameter. Cover the rolled-out flatbreads with a kitchen towel to keep them from drying out while you’re rolling them.
- Cook the flatbreads. Get a pan that will fit a flatbread over medium heat, then add a flatbread. Depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to do a few at a time. Cook on one side for 2 minutes, until you start to see it puffing up slightly. Flip the flatbread over (it should have some lovely golden spots now) and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the pan, place on a board then cover with the damp tea towel to keep them lovely and moist. This is the key to keeping them soft. Repeat with the remaining flatbreads.
- Spoon over the garlic butter. You can use the flatbreads as they are, or top them with the garlic butter. It’s best to top them when they’re still warm, so the butter melts beautifully and coats the flatbreads. Use a small spoon to spread a teaspoon of garlic butter onto each flatbread, then cover again with the tea towel to keep them soft.
Notes
ON KNEADING: I was always nervous of kneading because I was never sure if I was doing it right. But you don’t need to worry about whether you’re using the right technique. As long as you’re pressing down and folding the dough back on itself, you’ll be fine. I also like throwing the dough on the bench a couple of times! I have a whole post that goes into more detail on how to knead dough if you’d like more help.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The flatbreads will keep well for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. Just pop in the toaster to freshen up. They also freeze well. Get them into zip lock bags and freeze them, then defrost them in the toaster.
- Prep Time: 10
- Rising time: 60
- Cook Time: 3
- Category: breads
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 flatbread
Keywords: flatbread, naan, bread, wraps
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